According to the book, The Career Discovery Encyclopedia, Police officers are responsible for protecting the lives and property of citizens by upholding and enforcing the laws of the country. They must pursue the peace, prevent criminal acts and arrest those who break the law. Their jobs are dangerous and they are trained to carry and use weapons(76). Police officers go to work each day not knowing what to expect. Each day is different and new and different things are occurring all the time. One day a police officer may be having a shoot out with an armed bank robber, the next day the police officer may be looking for a possum in the b

According to the book, Opportunities in law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Careers, The Peelion Act of 150 years ago set forth principals that are still pertinent today. They are set down here because they remain A basic tenet of the law enforcement profession. The police must be stable, efficient, and organized along military lines, the police must be under control of the government, the absence of crime will best prove the efficiency of police, the distribution of crime news is essential, the deployment of police strength, both by time and area, is essential. No quality is more indispensable to a police officer than a perfect command of temper; a quiet, determined police officer has more effect than a violent one does, good appearance commands respect, the securing and training of proper persons is at the root of efficiency, police head quarters should be centrally located and easily accessible, police should be hired on a probation basis, police records are necessary for the correct distribution of police strenght(2).

According to the book, Preparing for a Career in Public Safety; one thing a person can do in high school to prepare for a career in law enforcement is to get involved with his community and try to improve it. He must understand what the community needs. Most departments are looking for college degrees. Several states including New York, New Jersey, North Dakota, Iowa, and some municipalities require applicants to have a two or four year college degree. More and more junior colleges are offering programs in law enforcement. In 1970 less than 5 percent of police officers had a college degree, today about a quarter of them have a college degree, so it is becoming more and more important(90). One may also want to give up a few years after high school for the military or armed forces. People with a military or armed forces background get what is called a veteran's preference, which means that when they take their test to become a police officer, they automatically get 10 points over anyone else without the military or armed forces background, thus improving their chances of becoming an officer. As part of the Act 120 Certification Act all Pennsylvania police officers must complete training and past tests on the skills needed in everyday police work, such as fire arms use, hazardous materials handling, and CPR and other emergency tactics. Every year each officer must be recertified to keep up with the changing policies and ways of handling situations. This is done by completing a set amount of hours of training and passing tests on all fields of training(

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